Why I am not giving my albums away for free. Sorta.

Late last year and early this year, I put a number of P&C albums on bandcamp for pay-whatever pricing. No minimum. At the time I figured - why not? Sales have been slow, I don't depend on album sales to make a living these days, so why not?

I have come up with a reason why not, so let me see if I can explain.

I recently offered up my new EP, "Hello, World!" for free download. The catch was that you had to email me personally and ask for it. And I have had hundreds of emails requesting the record. Which I am thrilled with. Many people took a few extra minutes to tell me they appreciated me making music, were glad to hear that I had something new, or to tell me how long they had been fans. Some people really went into depth about what my music meant to them, or how they could relate to my present situation of having less and less time to make music.

Many people also took the time to let me know what they thought of the record. No one emailed me back to say it sucks, so thats good… though if you had the balls to email the artist directly and say his record sucks, well hats off to you!

Anyway, all of this interaction was fantastic for me. Because I don't tour, this was a great way to know people are out there, and will make a bit of time in their busy lives to hear what I am up to. Awesome.

So anyway, back to the bandcamp thing, and the free download thing.

So how many times have people downloaded a free P&C album in 6 or so months of bandcamp? A few hundred. How many paid something? A couple dozen.

And thats what I have to show for it. A bit of paypal loot and stats. Stats. Thats it.

Stats aren't worth it, to me. To me, music has value. The music I produce has value and is worth more than statistics. And the value doesn't have to be money. But when I look at a page and see that my records been downloaded X amount of times, and thats it, who cares? Is that why I do this?

No. I do this to know that my music is worth something to someone. And if you wanna take the time to email me, thats enough. If you want to open your wallet, thats enough too I guess. But a log of download links isn't enough for me to keep going.

Does that make sense?

So last call for the no minimum at bandcamp, get it while you can. But you can email me anytime at roddy *at* mcenroe *dot* net and ask for the Hello, World, EP. Or something else if you really want it. Because if you take the time to ask for something, I will take the time to respond, and hook you up, on a one to one level.

P&C bandcamp -> http://peanutsandcorn.bandcamp.com

Also, read this article on thetrichordist. My mind was blown.

http://thetrichordist.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/letter-to-emily-white-at-npr-all-songs-considered/

Peace, my friends!

Roddy

Soundcloud fun

OK so hey, whats up? I uploaded some tracks onto soundcloud for you to check out. here goes...


First is a track from my new EP, "Hello, World!". It drops next tuesday, the 26th of June. Its called "Stack Silver". I started looking into silver prices, and if you look into silver at all, on the internets, it wont be long until worlds like "collapse" "Fiat currency" "meltdown" and more enter the picture. Pretty interesting.




Next is from the new John Smith LP. It's called "Vandalize The Temple". It kind of became one of my favorite tracks on the new record, and I ended up singing a hook on it. If you heard the beat how it was recorded to in 2010, and how it ended up, you would probably be surprised.




Next is a couple of abandoned tracks from the 2004 Farm Fresh record, for your mild interest only. The first one, origin, was written about how the three of us (Pip Skid, Hunnicutt, and myself) met and started the group. It was the last song we cut from the record, so it had been produced a little more than just a demo. When it came down to it, Hunnicutt felt that the track wasn't that interesting a subject, and I couldn't disagree. What do you think?

Finally, a track also from the same session, called "Is It Because You're Wack". If I recall correctly, it was sort of a take off of the classic "Is It Because I'm Black" by Syl Johnson, at least on a very light, superficial level. But I don't think we nailed it, and we scrapped it.



OK, thats it for this week. I have plenty more to play you coming soon! Thanks for reading.


Roddy

Ol' Man Winter

I am happy to announce that the new John Smith record, several years in the making, will see release on July 24th. Of THIS year! Thats just over a month away. Wow! It will be distributed by Urbnet records. I have decided to partner with Urbnet because I want to devote more time to making music. The amount of spare time I have to devote to music is shrinking, and I want all of it to be about making music and not about promoting it or selling it. Urbnet is one of the few labels in Canada that has been consistent and devoted to hip-hop, and I have always respected them. So I am very excited that this record is the first under our new distribution. It makes the future brighter for Peanuts & Corn to continue.

So yeah! Hooray! This is the first bit of news I have for you. I have more news coming...

But let me tell you a little more about this record, and a few other things. We recorded it in 2010 I believe. It has 14 tracks. Its banging. Did you get a chance to check the first video we did, the title track?

There are not a lot of guests on this record. Just Pip Skid, Yy, and Birdapres. I think I may have a hook on there too. But there are some really great songs on this record. I am very proud of it, and I know Smitty is too. Check back next week for an advance track from the record, OK?

Also I wanted to thank all the peeps who took the time to email me and get the link for my new EP, Hello World. I really enjoyed all the people who took the time to reach out and ask for the record. Many of you seemed to be glad that I am making music again. And that just gets me more motivated to keep this going. I miss the personal interaction from touring, so something like this is the only way to know if anyone is out there, listening. And if you took the time to get back to me with your thoughts, positive or negative, I appreciate it.

So I plan to continue to offer Hello World as a free EP for the asking. It will soon be on iTunes and Bandcamp for a fee, and there will be exactly 100 CD copies for sale, which will include the instrumentals. But if you want a free link to the download, I am more than happy to oblige. Just drop me a line at roddy at mcenroe dot net, and tell me something.

Last thing... the last album Smitty and I did was really dope, and in my opinion waaaayyy too slept on. Did you hear it? Its called Growing Pains. If you didn't hear it, I am offering physical copies (CD) for 5 bucks, including shipping, to the US and Canada. If you are elsewhere in the world, lets say 8 bucks. This is a paypal deal only - send 5 bucks and your address to paypal at mcenroe dot net, and I will hook you up. This is a limited time deal, say until July 24? Of THIS year?

Later skaters.

Roddy

Hello, World EP!

Hi, its me, mcenroe. I did a new record in the last 6 weeks. It has 4 songs. Do you want to hear it? I'm gonna put it on bandcamp in the next couple of weeks. And I will press up CD copies (but not very many) in the next couple of weeks. And put it on itunes in the next couple of weeks. And hit up blogs and all that.


But its ready now, and I wouldn't mind at all if you heard it.


So if you wanna hear it, how about you just ask me?


Email me at roddy <at> mcenroe <dot> net and I will hook you up. I will send you a link, and you can hear it. And if you are so inclined, you can email me back and tell me if you like it. That would be cool.


Just ask.


And tell me what part of the world you live in, and if you don't want me to add you to the Peanuts & Corn mailing list, tell me that too, or I may just do it.


---


I've got a lot to tell you guys. Music is a big thing right now. I am working on doing some new partnerships for upcoming records. I'm really excited. I can't wait to tell you. But first I want to tell you about this 4 song EP.


I have been kinda bummed that it is taking me longer and longer to finish records. I get busy, I work on other things, I shoot music videos, I work, I build basement suites, I watch hockey games, I hang out with my lovely wife, play with my lovely children, educate them, all that. Its time consuming man! But still, I have to be able to finish a record. I just have to. Music is too important to me not to.


So I set out to do four songs, and put them out as quick as I can. I know several dudes that can achieve this feat in about 24 hours. For me, it took 6 weeks.


I mean, I gotta make the beats. Then I have to write the songs. And when I write a song, its not easy. Maybe I hold myself to a higher standard, or maybe lyrics just don't flow as quickly from my head as some. Whatever it is, it takes time. I would say a 24 bar verse, if I am feeling inspired, would take about 3 or 4 hours to write. So you need to have that chunk of time, without interruption, with the ability to rap out loud in a working, studio environment. Not so easy for me these days.


Anyway, I wrote these songs and then finished off the beats. And that takes a long time too. I can start about 10 beats in a night. But finishing them? Layering them and having lots of interesting things happen? That takes much more time.


Then I need to find a window of pure quiet in my house, to record the vocals. This is almost impossible. I have a 3 year old and a 5 month old baby. If the baby is in the house, either he is making noise or there can be no noise. And the baby, he doesn't need to leave the house all that often. So I don't get a lot of time in the house to myself to record.


Let me me stress that I am not complaining about how busy my house is. Its awesome. But it makes it a challenge.


Then I gotta mix and master the record. And when I make a mix, I can't listen to it out loud in the house, for the same reasons as above. So I gotta go drive around in my car. And waste gas, I know, its bad. So generally I would only do 1 mix per day. So every little tweak would generate a new mix and add a day to the process.


Anyway, thats why it takes 6 weeks. And here it is. Four songs of brand new mcenroe paranoia and attitude. The tracks are:


Hello, World! - about our ultra dependence on technology.
Last Man Standing - I guess that would be me?
Stack Silver - I'm not saying global financial collapse is imminent, but yo!
You Are A Robot - no , really, you are


So hey, check it out. Let me know what you think. And stay tuned for big news about some records me and my friends at Peanuts & Corn have coming out.


Later,
Roddy
mcenroe

happy new year

new years resolution is to blog more than never

i watch tv on my ipad and do dishes with my nifty new American Standard faucet and my fancy new Insinkerator garbage disposal. WHAT

baby is due any day. c'mon baby

lakers?

pretty soon all the P&C stuff will be on bandcamp. spread the word. peanutsandcorn.bandcamp.com

I am spending more time directing than making music, and more time working on shit TV commercials than directing, and more time renovating than working on shit TV commercials

i directed videos this year for Moka Only, D-Sisive, e.d.g.e., Greg MacPherson, Pip Skid, Yy, Taichichi, Ghettosocks/Jeff Spec/Timbuktu/Muneshine... and lots more is coming. So fun.

you know i'm a sellout though, right? But I don't have a clothing sponsor.

So music - The John Smith is done, just needs a cover. Once this house gets fixed up, I'm recording The Bad Sleep Well EP, and the mcenroe LP. And recording/producing/whatever the new e.d.g.e. LP. And more is happening. It just takes time, which I have so little of.

Hey, if you took me up on the P&C deal offer thing from the last blog post, thanks. I sold enough stuff in under 48 hours to cover the debt. Many many people stepped up and helped out and made that stressful situation go away quick. Thanks a ton. And thanks to all y'all who sent their regards, and said they would take me up on the deal if they didn't already own everything!

I'm gonna shut down the P&C store as it is now. And I'm not gonna take credit cards anymore. Its a losing proposition.

You should watch less television, I think. And play fewer video games.

Happy New Year. Hope it goes your way.

A shocking bill! - Getting out of Richmond and getting out of the hole

Hey yo! Time for the once a year post, I guess.

Today in my inbox I got an email from my former distributor, Fontana North. Peanuts & Corn was distributed by Fontana North since about 2005, I think. Before that we were with Sonic Unyon.

I put out two records through Fontana North, the John Smith - Growing Pains and Birdapres - Get It Done LPs. Neither really did anything. At about that time I got into film and stopped worrying about releasing records in a timely manner, promo, all that stuff.

The move to Fontana North didn't do anything good for us in terms of promo or sales. In fact it just made it really really easy for stores that had our stuff to return it.

Early on I made a payment to FN to cover those losses. But over the years I have not heard much from them, rarely getting any account statements. I have definitely not had any personal contact from them for several years.

And today I get hit with a bill for $1807.63. I am waiting on details of what this balance is from, with breakdowns and all that. I also have to decide if I want the stock that they are sitting on to be returned, picked up, or destroyed.

Bottom line is this distribution deal did not go well. I am not blaming FN. When I put out records as rarely as I do, how could I be a priority? But a bill like this never comes at a good time.

And speaking of timing, I am moving next month to a new home in East Vancouver. I have started the process of moving and have discovered that I have a lot of stuff. Including a ton of product - probably more product that I ever will be able to sell in today's digital age, considering I have no distribution.

I would like to offer up this product to you people at a big discount, to raise the funds to be a standup guy and pay off Fontana North. Because I pay my debts.

So here we go. I am offering this deal until I raise the $2000 to pay this debt and get my product back from FN in Toronto.

Prices include shipping in the US and Canada. Payment made to roddy@mcenroe.net on PayPal.

$100 - Every CD ever (almost)

Only 20 pkgs available

** EDIT - ONLY 9 LEFT **

PC008 - mcenroe - the ethics ep

PC009 - farm fresh - played out

PC012 - park-like setting - school day 2

PC013 - moves feat Birdapres - Alleged Legends

PC014 - Pip Skid - friends4ever

PC015 - john smith - blunderbus

PC018 - gruf - druidry

PC020 - mcenroe - the convenience ep

PC021 - Peanuts & Corn - summer 2002 - **SOLDOUT**

PC022 - hip-hop wieners - all beef, no chicken

PC023 - mcenroe - billys vision

PC025 - mcenroe - disenfranchised

PC026 - Yy - Hold The Fort Down EP

PC027 - Peanuts & Corn - fall 2003

PC028 - Pip Skid - Funny Farm

PC029 - John Smith - Pinky's Laundromat

PC030 - Peanuts & Corn - Tape Hiss

PC031 - Break Bread EP

PC032 - mcenroe & Birdapres - Nothing Is Cool

PC033 - mcenroe - disenfranchised 2 / Pip Skid - Funny Farm 2

PC034 - Farm Fresh - Time Is Running Out

PC035 - Gruf - Hopeless

PC036 - Park-Like Setting - Craftsmen

PC037 - Birdapres - Get It Done

PC038 - John Smith - Growing Pains

PC039 - Roddy Bailey - Edge Of Town

PC040 - mcenroe - The Paper Champion

PC041 - Yy - Tape It Back Together

This is a really cool amount of music for a very small amount of money. Once I sell 20 of these packages, thats it.

And for those of you who are not down with physical product anymore, I offer a digital version of the above for direct, sketchy download.

$60 - Every Release Ever after 1998.

All of the above releases plus:

PC010 - fermented reptile - lets just call you quits

PC011 - fermented reptile / park-like setting split 12"

PC017 - Peanuts & Corn - Factory Seconds

PC019 - Pip Skid - Money Matters 7"

PC024 - John Smith - High Arctics 7"

and

Roddy B - All Types Of Hype Demos

mcenroe - Keeping The Faith Remix EP

Thanks for reading and supporting. Any questions, hit me. Onwards and upwards.

Roddy

August 2010 already...

I havent done an update to this thing in a while. Its like I need some big news to pull the trigger on an update. Well maybe its time to rethink that. Here is whats up.

I went in with a buddy and got a Canon T2i camera. So a lot of my energy has gone into shooting some music videos. Last month Nestor Wynrush was out in Van and we shot a video for High Park Sunrise. Then I went to Winnipeg and shot 4 videos, two for Yy and two for John Smith. One of them includes the entire Break Bread crew (except Gruf and me, I stayed behind the camera). Finally I shot a video for a new mcenroe track called Keeping The Faith, and am planning on shooting another for a song called Gearing Up For Getting Down. So I have 6 videos waiting to be edited right now.

My EP is called The paper Champion. It will be released Sept 21, 2010. I am working on a bonus disc with instrumentals, dub versions and a bonus cut or two. The EP has five songs and four interludes for nine tracks in all. The only guest is Yy.

Yy's LP is in the final mastering stages and will out late october or early november. It is called "tape it back together"

John Smith's LP is recorded and now I gotta finish the beats. It will be out ib early 2011.

My son is amazing. So fun and so funny.

Been watching Breaking Bad, I am a fan. Entourage has passed its best before date. Other than that I dont watch much TV.

I'm on Twitter: I only tweet a couple of days a week. @bigmcenroe

my youtube site: youtube.com/bigmcenroe

so long, stay tuned

Couple of mcenroe remixes

Here are a couple of remixes I did of my own shit.

The first is a little house-y sounding beats I had kicking around that I used to flip "Mastermind". Its pretty bouncy.

mcenroe - Mastermind Remix

The second is a re-do I did of "Too Real" for licensing on a TV show (that was never used). I wanted to get rid of the samples so if you compare it to the original, it sounds pretty chunky and off. But on its own its all right, I especially like the guitar that comes in for the choruses, I think thats an improvement.

mcenroe - Too Real

Gruf - Fillossaphee Africa Remix

Another Remix from my half finished P&C Dynamite series, this is a mixture of Fillossaphee and Elbow Grease from "Hopeless"
Gruf - Fillossaphee Africa Remix

Blog reborn

This blog is reborn. It is now strictly for dropping tracks. Comments appreciated.

Here is a remix of "Growing Pains" by John Smith. I recently dumped 223 beats from my old Akai S01 sampler into Live. And when I put this together, I just heard the Growing Pains lyrics on it, so here it is, just for fun.

Growing Pains - S01 Remix

And now a shout out to my sponsor...

My man Kobe had 52 points last night against the Utah Jazz. After the game, in several different interviews, he said it was easy, he was in a groove, it was like he was playing playstation.

From the LA Times:
Maybe he'd done it, "in video games, man," he said, smiling. "PlayStation was the last time. In the NBA it's so tough to do that. Guys are on top of you and you get your arms hit once in a while. I can't remember the last time I did that.

He is the cover boy for Sony's NBA franchise, NBA07. What a good boy.

Latest Video I Directed

Happy 25th, SBG

Here's to 25 more years of large size refreshment.

"In the 1980s, 7-Eleven was the first retailer to introduce self-serve fountain drinks. And just last year, 7-Eleven stores sold nearly 33 million gallons of fountain drinks – enough to fill 75 Olympic-size swimming pools."

Any phrase that starts with "In the 1980s" is good in my book.

Don't SLEEP

Check out my man Birdapres

Bird's MySpace

And I'm slowly updating Peanuts & Corn Records for the 21st Century.

Good Stuff

I have an arch-nemesis. I can't go into any more detail.

I went and saw a Seattle Mariners game. I ate the garlic fries. I also bought 1 pair of shoes. I should have bought three pairs.

I think if you take the time to make a sign or print a menu, you should check the grammar first. But not so much if you design album covers.

Good songs:
Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie
Be Easy - T.I.

Guilty Pleasure songs:
SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
That black eyed peas song that uses the pulp fiction shit. yiii

2nd Assistant Director Haiku

Tired and Weary
Waiting for a Light Meter
Ah The Product Shot

A man without a country

So I watched the world cup. And I liked it. Never paid this much attention before and it turned out to be a good game. Plus there are no commercials during the broadcast except at halftime, so thats pretty cool. And the annoucers say funny things like "What a caucophony here in the stadium" and they use the word "Brilliant" to describe every single goal. I love it.

So why have I been more compelled than ever to buy one of those adidas country/flag track tops? I have been out lately and all of the styles are half price. This goes against my number one rule - don't wear gear with countries or flags on it. I've followed that one ever since the Mondetta fad back in high school, where small town hicks would wear these white sweatshirts to the high school dance with some country's flag that they didn't even know the capital of.

But they are half price! And so colorful! So lets look at some of the options...

BRAZIL - well I just got back from Brazil. So at least it is from a place where I have actually been. But its bright yellow, not really my thing. And wearing a Brazil top is like wearing Yankees or Lakers gear... thats some front-runner shit. Even though I wear Yankees and Lakers gear.

ENGLAND (as above) - Well I have never been to England, but I hear my ancestors are from there. Or some of them are. But I can't really use that as an excuse - its not like my grandma even knows who David Beckham is. Plus the style was described to me as being too "Where's Waldo"

JAPAN - Well its blue, and I have been there. But it makes no sense. I don't look like I am from Japan. I'd be a poser.

PORTUGAL - The burgandy is great. But all their players dive too much. No.

FRANCE - It's a bright blue, which is OK. It has a chicken on it though. Again, I've never been there, although I hear I may have ancestors from there and I sort of speak the language. But it has a chicken on it. Or a rooster or something.

USA - No one roots for the USA in soccer. Not even the USA. Plus its wrong on so many levels. And I haven't seen any for sale anywhere either.

CANADA - I can't wear a Canada jacket while in Canada. Never, ever. I would consider it when I was travelling outside of Canada, maybe. But that happens for like 3 weeks a year. And Red isn't my color. And white isn't either because I will definitely spill on this jacket.

TRON - OK they also have these TRON track tops. What better way to declare 100% geekdom than to wear an adidas TRON top with the lightcycles embroidered on the back? I am considering this but it is not half price yet. And I could get the matching lightcycle shoes with velcro straps instead of laces. Stylin'. If they get a Fletch track top I am sold.

Brazil

So I went to Brazil with Marcie. It was nothing like the movie. We were mostly in Sao Paulo, with a little bit of Ilhabella for good measure. It was cool to see Sao Paulo, especially during the world cup. But if I went back, I would spend more time on the island, sipping diet soda by the pool at off season rates, knawmean?

Also Marcie and I have been together for 10 years and married for 3 years. Hooray for that!

Now I am working in commercials and finishing projects. A couple of videos to be finished and a couple of albums to get out there. Once all that is done I start making beats and writing songs and the cycle continues.

I might start a sports blog because I think I would update it more and I got things to say. I have opinions. Dave Nonis needs my help.

June is the new May

OK, you didn't really expect it to come in May, did you? I mean, its me. I always set myself up to fail like this. To let you nice people down.

But here is the deal. Its done. I just have to mix it so it doesn't sound like crap (right now it sounds like crap). I will start taking orders on the website on June 16, and will ship June 26.

There will be two editions: The basic edition which is the CD. The deluxe edition has a deluxe bonus instrumental CD and a deluxe fold out insert with all of the deluxe lyrics. So you can rap along with me. Shirts will also be available with the logo, seperately or as a big bonus pack. This wont be widely available in stores - strictly websites and indie stores. Deluxe edition on peanutsandcorn.com ONLY.

I really had a good time with this. Its pretty fun. I'm not calling it a mixtape because its not that disposable - there are some really good songs here. A few are serious - Alpha Flight is about the Canadian identity. Save the Kiddies is about our disillusioned youth and the lack of any real youth movement. But mostly its pretty light - Cereal For Dinner (about how I ate like shit in university), Birthday Check from Jesus, So Scared (my verse is about Hot Dogs, J-Mart raps about Denny's). There is a Nirvana cover. Bird is on it. Cadence Weapon is on it. Josh Martinez too.

The beats are pretty light. Banging. I sample pretty heavily, some of it has been used. Stuff I wouldn't use on an album. But I'm not just jacking 12" instrumentals here, these are all fully produced with original drum tracks and my own arrangements. You'll find them to be a bit funkier and far less dense.

So it isn't the new mcenroe album - that project will be far more ambitious. I'm not breaking any ground here, I'm having a good time. Its like a lite album, the diet coke of albums, with no aftertaste. I hope you like it.

Birt's

I will be back in Winnipeg for June 19. Before that I gotta go to Brazil to check it out. Well I don't have to go but I'm going. I'm going to take a zillion pictures and hope not to get mugged. I also hope I remember to turn off that stupid DATE STAMP. Boy I hate that thing

So I have signed a new distribution deal in Canada for my label. We are now distributed by Rec Room / Fontana North / Universal. There are like 100 middlemen! Its good because our records should be easier to find and they should be marketed better. Because I did a bad job at both. Now my job is to make records, sign artists, and do videos. And no more marketing! Hooray!

So I might go get a job, full time. Make some money, get out of the house, see the world. I want to be a chef, I really like to cook and I am good at it. Or maybe get back into the engineering thing for a while. Or the film thing, which I have been working part time. Such decisions...

Anyone else staying up 3 or 4 AM reading Wikipedia? Reminds me of when I first found the Internet back in school, 95 or something. Too good.

Now that TV is over and most sports are getting close to over, what do I watch first, Six Feet Under or Battlestar Galactica?

Last few records I have picked up: Minutemen - Post-Merch, Vol 2, T.I. - King, Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues, INXS - Best of INXS, Scientist - Wins The World Cup. The new Mobb Deep is AWFUL. Luckily I got hooked up with a play copy that I won't ever play.